A foodie's guide to London

Whether it's calories or cost, the key is to strike a balance

By Liane Faulder, Edmonton Journal

Presented with the panoply of restaurants that dot the London landscape, it's difficult for the ardent visiting foodie to know where to turn. Not only are some of the hottest flames in the kitchen in residence - from Gordon Ramsay to Heston Blumenthal - there are hundreds of take-away food factories, innumerable tiny breakfast cafés and a number of niche nummies tucked away in galleries and museums.

Visitors to London for the 2012 Olympics will find the food choices overwhelming - and expensive. That's why, during a recent visit, I put my favourite foodie filing system into place in this gut-wrenchingly gorgeous city. I call it high-low, a way to organize my thoughts, desires and wallet in a way that provides a taste of a great food community, without breaking the bank. Feel free to adopt this system as your own, and to create your own benchmarks for high and low.

Here's how it works. Every high-end spot I eat in must be balanced with a low-impact choice, both in pecuniary and culinary terms. Ergo, for every morsel of sticky-toffee pudding, there must be a dollop of yogurt. Each comfy seat in a restaurant birthed by a television chef must be matched by a lengthy lineup at Pret a Manger. It's a good exercise, because it makes you think about priorities and balance. It also puts food in its place, sometimes a romantic and breathtaking experience, sometimes a sausage buttie. (Do remember, though, that the quick bites can be more meaningful than the extravagant efforts. One of my favourite dinners on this trip was an Indian chicken biryani purchased from a pasty kiosk in Victoria station, and eaten while standing in a lineup for Billy Elliot.)

Know from the start that I am not a patron of three-star Michelin restaurants, such as The Fat Duck, where the tasting menu goes for 180 pounds a person. High end for me tops out at about one third of that. But I still felt pretty glam eating at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, which celebrates 10 years in business in 2012. I am a huge fan of Oliver, and not just because he's adorable, but because there is more to his talent than meets the eye. Affable and ingenious, Oliver also gives back to the community. He started Fifteen as a training ground for disadvantaged youth.

"All profits allow Fifteen to use the magic of food to give unemployed young people a chance to have a better future," reads the menu at the restaurant, named for the first 15 young cooks enrolled in the chef apprentice program. Located in London's east end, conveniently close to Olympic venues, Fifteen is sure to be popular, so book right this minute at fifteen.net.

Fifteen is rustic Italian, with wide plank wood floors and leather banquettes. Comfort food is the focus; try the pillowy potato gnocchi and hope the menu still includes Organized Mess, a lightly browned meringue concoction with fruit, served in charming disarray on a wooden board. As far as celebrity outings are concerned, Fifteen is comparatively reasonable, with a total food bill of about 80 pounds for two, including the tip, added automatically to your bill.

The Fifteen counterpoint was the Borough Market, where you get lots of rustic fare (pig's heads, everywhere), but at a very manageable price. Open Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays, Borough market, near London Bridge in Southwark, is the city's oldest fruit and vegetable market. It has existed in some form since 1755, with roots tracing back to the 11th century. About 100 vendors ply everything from fresh licorice to award-winning Melton Mowbray meat pies to meringues as big as boulders, plus plenty of fresh produce, fish, and flowers.

Tourists and local working stiffs alike crouch on the curb to eat Spanish chorizo with Piquillo chili peppers and arugula on a buttie (a flat bun) for under four pounds. Or try a duck-confit sandwich and mulled wine combo for eight pounds at Le Marche du Quartier. Make time for a stop at Monmouth Coffee Shop, built on two levels with lots of bright windows for fresh air and good crowd-watching.

The market, with its emphasis on nose-to-tail nosh, inspired a visit to the next high-end choice, St. John, one of two London eateries owned by Michelin-starred chef Fergus Henderson. One of the early proponents of farm-to-fork eating in the U.K., Henderson opened his first restaurant in Smithfield, on St. John Street, in 1994. We visited his second location in Spitalfields, called St. John Bread and Wine, which has both a gastro-pub, and a full-service restaurant on the same site.

Though not as pricey as his signature stop, Bread and Wine still features offal, bone marrow and Crispy Pigs Skin and Dandelion. Well-acquainted with offcuts, I opted instead for Roast Middlewhite with Chard and Mustard, a thick slice of roasted pork, well-marbled and cooked tender-pink. But the highlight of the meal was dessert, a tiny, smooth pot of chocolate, delightfully distant from the farm, which rang in at about 75 pounds for two. Consider the pub at St. John Bread and Wine; it has virtually the same menu at a slightly lower price. Noisier, but more fun.

Another low-end option in London is the eatery you'll find in virtually every museum and art gallery. Many cultural institutions in London are free, leaving visitors more pocket money for the café or gift shop. The not-to-be-missed Tate Modern was abuzz with polka dots and Damien Hirst during my visit. But I was ga-ga over the egg and mayonnaise cress sandwich served on a whole wheat bloomer (just over three pounds) in Café 2, one of several eateries in the behemoth gallery on the Thames, right beside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. The meal was delightful, but just as good was the view (lacy budding birches in green contrast to the imposing grey river). Do indulge in the lemon curd cream for dessert (five pounds), served with strawberry compote and shortbread.

An affordable, and truly delicious gallery option can be found at the Saatchi, one of the most renowned cultural stops in London. There are lots of expensive cream teas available in London, such as at the storied Fortnum and Mason in Piccadilly, where the Queen recently took tea with the Duchess of Cornwall and the Duchess of Cambridge. (Clerks in the men's furnishings wear morning coat with tails, so you get the picture.) But the Saatchi has a lovely patio, with a view of a nearby schoolyard where children kick soccer balls and shriek joyfully. Tea with three airy scones, jam and clotted cream is about eight pounds.

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